Rutherford & Meyer (Lower Hutt) Gluten-Free Cracker Development

Client: Rutherford & Meyer, 120A Hutt Park Road, Gracefield, Lower Hutt 5010

Project Completion: February 2025

Project Overview

Rutherford & Meyer’s engaged Navigate Food to identify and develop a premium gluten-free cracker platform suitable for commercialisation across the New Zealand, Australian, and United States markets.

The brief required a solution that balanced market trends, ingredient positioning, sensory performance, and cost feasibility — while aligning to the brand’s premium entertaining and snacking proposition.

Project Objectives

Develop a cracker range that was:

• Premium and natural in positioning

• On-trend within global snack categories

• Gluten free

• Clean label compliant

• Within target cost of goods

• Optimised for “snack & dip” consumption occasions

  
  

Navigate Food’s Role

Navigate Food led the end-to-end product development process from early concept through to factory scale-up.

Key activities included:

Innovation & Concept Development

• Brainstorming and ideation workshops

• Market and trend research (NZ, AU, USA)

• Product concept creation and refinement

Technical Development

• Bench formulation and prototype development

• Sensory evaluation and iterative optimisation

• Texture and structure performance testing

Commercial Feasibility

• Ingredient sourcing and approval

• Cost modelling and budget alignment

Scale-Up & Commercialisation

• Transition from kitchen prototypes to factory trials

• Process validation and manufacturability optimisation

Regulatory & Labelling

• Nutritional Information Panels

• Ingredient Declarations

• Allergen Statements

• Pack label compliance

  
  

Technical Solution

Avocado Oil

Selected as the primary lipid system due to:

• Alignment with premium macronutrient positioning

• Strong relevance to the U.S. “no seed oils” consumer movement

• Positive consumer perception as less processed than refined seed oils

Tapioca Flour

Used as a core structural component to deliver:

• Crispness and snap

• Lightness and aeration

• Strong alignment with “free-from” and gluten-free segments

  
  

Flavour Development

The final snack & dip range included:

• Aged Cheddar & Garlic

• Caramelised Onion

• Lime & Black Pepper

• Smoky Chipotle

  
  

Outcome

All four flavours achieved commercial success and industry recognition, each receiving Gold Awards at the New Zealand Artisan Awards (2025)

Client Impact

This project delivered Rutherford & Meyer a scalable, export-ready gluten-free cracker platform aligned to modern ingredient narratives and premium snacking occasions.

By integrating trend strategy, formulation science, and manufacturing feasibility, Navigate Food supported the brand to bring an award-winning range to market with confidence.